Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Sometimes I wonder what people expect from local newspapers like the one I work for, and from local reporters like myself.
While readers regularly thank us for our great coverage, we’ve also been told we’re too negative, and that our only job should be to “build up” our community with positive news.
Recently I was reminded what it means to be a good reporter, and why I work for two of the best newspapers in North Dakota.
Some may have heard about the small-town newspaper in Kansas that was recently raided by a local police force, which once again stirred up discussions about freedom of the press.
National and statewide newspapers and networks have been covering the saga and its implications on the first amendment for weeks, and as a reporter myself who cares deeply about local newspapers, I’ve been following the story quite closely.
However, I'm not writing this editorial to talk about freedom of the press, or why I think the actions of that police force were totally uncalled for.
Rather, it’s the reporting about that small community, their newspaper, and the relationship between them that’s compelled me to write this editorial.
For those who haven’t heard about the incident, it occurred in a place called Marion, Kansas, a small town of just under 2,000 people.
On Friday, Aug. 11, the office of that town’s family-owned newspaper, The Marion County Record, was raided by the local police force. Also raided were the homes of the publication’s co-owner and a city councilwoman.
The police say they executed the search warrant to investigate a reporter having allegedly gained the driving records of a local business owner under false pretenses.
The police took computer servers, computers, cell phones and multiple gigabytes of data from both the newspaper’s office, and the home of the newspaper’s 98-year-old co-owner, Joan Meyer.
Disturbing CCTV camera footage exists that shows just how upsetting the raid was for Meyer, as she can be seen demanding police leave her home and stop taking her things. The next day she passed away, having had a decades-long and well-respected journalism career.
After the raid and subsequent firestorm, the local prosecutor withdrew the search warrant citing lack of evidence, and had the newspaper’s property returned.
Press advocacy organizations say the raid was a breach of state and federal laws that protect the media from government intrusion, and now the Marion County Record says they’re preparing to sue.
So why did all of this really happen?
Well it just so happens that The Marion County Record had been investigating the city’s police chief, Gideon Cody. Before joining the police force in Marion, he was facing disciplinary action for making sexually inappropriate actions toward a subordinate.
An article published by The New York Times several days after the raid explains just how rancorous the relationship between the local paper and the police chief, as well as some other Marion City officials, had become leading up to the raid.
But the article goes even further than that, revealing how the community of Marion also has a rocky relationship with their newspaper.
Why? Because of so-called “aggressive” and “negative” reporting.
One Marion business owner said the following to the New York Times about the supposed role of their local newspaper:
“The role should of course be positive about everything that is going on in Marion,” he said, “and not stir things up and look at the negative side of things.”
It’s apparent that some people believe investigating local officials and reporting on important topics does more harm than good for a local community. Surely if negative news goes unreported then everyone will just be happier and better off, right?
Personally, I think nothing could be further from the truth. Yet I’ve heard similar remarks about some of my own reporting.
I believe it’s important for a local newspaper to cover the great and positive aspects of their community, which is why we cover our youth plays at the Old Church Theatre in New Rockford, a local nursing home’s 60th anniversary, a ribbon cutting at the new park in town, a local man’s courageous battle with cancer and the first day of school.
It is equally important, however, not to ignore important news just because some might see it as negative.
Since moving to North Dakota to work as a reporter two years ago, I’ve had to cover plenty of “negative” news.
Sure, breaking news is exciting to write from the perspective of a journalist, but as a member of this community I’d rather not have to cover certain topics. For example, I’d rather not have to cover the recent alleged and tragic murders in Eddy and Foster County.
I’d much rather everyone in our community be able to support the New Rockford-Sheyenne School District’s administration, and citizens not feel the need to circulate petitions.
I’d rather not have to cover contentious city meetings in Carrington and New Rockford.
But wishing there wasn’t negative news to cover is no excuse to avoid covering it.
Any reporter worth their salt must cover the good, the bad and the ugly of their community. Because our job isn’t to write some news or only news we agree with, it’s our job to cover THE news.
Some so-called “news” networks have increasingly done a terrible job of this, as they’ve become more akin to propaganda outlets, and take publishing “negative” or “sensationalist” news to a whole new level.
Their increasing disinterest in covering the news leaves smaller organizations and newspapers to pick up the slack, and we do so with fewer resources and amid an ever-changing media environment that’s led to the closure of thousands of local newspapers in this country.
Some local newspapers don’t have the staffing – and therefore the luxury – to comprehensively cover their community. But those that do, have a responsibility to their readers and their community to provide accurate and complete information.
I’d argue the New Rockford Transcript and Foster County Independent do an excellent job of this, and I’m proud to write for such fantastic newspapers.
We cover THE news, and that’s exactly how it should be.
